


the trouble with faking it

by yorkes



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/M, Human AU, but then some, fake dating au, not entirely fluff i know who i am i, this really took a turn when writing tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 17:57:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorkes/pseuds/yorkes
Summary: Kol needs some easy cash. A listing is promising money for couples to participate in a relationship study. Near stranger, Davina Claire, is willing to help out.(aka the fake relationship au that took a damn turn)





	the trouble with faking it

**Author's Note:**

> A post on tumblr inspired me to do a lil fake dating au for kolvina (#tb to anyone who remembers Something New) and I started writing it. And then it was taking longer than expected. And then it became not completely fluffy which is new territory for me. And then before I knew it I had a super long one shot that was supposed to be 1k words at the most.
> 
> Oh well, I really hope you enjoy! It's been stated that Kolvina got married in the time jump so I thought I should post something to celebrate (and my series of one shots during the time jump aren't close to being finished) so I finished this guy up!

 

Kol was officially broke. A quick glance at his wallet confirmed as much, carrying only a few one dollar bills. He took a second glance to see if any hundreds were hiding but just ended up disappointed.

“Hey Bex, can you spot me money for coffee?” Kol’s sister, Rebekah, gave him an uninterested shake of her head to his request. She was scribbling down notes for a test or hers coming up, some marketing course. “I’ll make it up to you,” he pushed. Rebekah’s eyes ticked up from her notebook, scrunching when they landed on her younger brother.

“Do you lose your card?” she asked, reaching for her own. Kol’s lips were pursed, but a raised eyebrow prompted his answer.

“Mikael cut me off,” he admitted, unable to meet her eyes. Just from his peripheral vision he could tell she was amused. 

“How did you manage to piss off a man you don’t even talk to?” A good question, considering phone calls to daddy dearest were short, brief, and above all a business transaction. Usually the time difference from New Orleans to London was a good enough excuse to dodge a call, so even those could be avoided if necessary. 

Kol slumped down in his chair, looking at the textbooks laid out in front of him with disdain.

“I might have mentioned that I was thinking of dropping out.” This comment caught Rebekah’s attention. 

“You, told Michael, that you wanted to drop out of university,” she confirmed, eyes alight with both amusement and concern. “I would say I know how that went but you just told me.” Kol shrugged, eyeing her wallet. If he were to actually pursue his degree he at least needed caffeine. Rebekah did not extend the dollar bills poking out, instead she kept her gaze on him expectantly.

“He told me that I was spoiled and didn’t understand what life would be like when I left college… he specifically said something about not knowing anything how much things cost. Then announced I had to make my own money.”

“What about your apartment? Car payment? And tuition?” she questioned, getting a bit more concerned. Her pen was lying flat against her paper, forgotten.

“All the monthly bill type things are covered, it’s just the day to day,” he clarified, and he saw a visible sigh of relief. “Mum was on the call, so she didn’t let him completely destroy my life.”

“Kol, I think you can manage a job for daily expenses,” she said with a pointed look. “For a moment there I seriously thought he’d cut you off and you’d have to get three jobs to support your lifestyle.”

“A job,” Kol deadpanned, a distant look in his eyes. 

“Uh, yes. A job,” she repeated. “I’m not providing you spending money for booze and whatever it is you waste your inheritance on.”

“This is not a permanent situation Rebekah,” he tried to assure, “I’ll send him my grades from this semester, tell him he was right about staying in school, and he’ll reactivate my accounts.” The semester was ending in two months, he could manage until then. Though in his original plans he’d planned on mooching off of his siblings. 

“Then find a not permanent solution that isn’t my charity!” She shook her head, and pulled out her phone. “I don’t say this often, but I think Mikael might have the right idea for once. I’m letting the rest of the family know of your situation so you don’t somehow mooch off of them as well.”

Kol’s phone, which laid face up on the table, confirmed Rebekah’s statement with a GroupMe update in the Mikaelson sibling group chat. He let out an audible sigh, turning the screen off. Looking up he realized Rebekah’s expression had softened. Her lips were set into a thin line still, but only in a display of concern. She reached in her wallet and pulled out a ten, more than enough for a black coffee. 

“This is all I’m giving you, Kol,” she stated, and from her voice he knew she meant it. “I think you can manage to find a temporary job.”

“Thank you,” he responded, taking the money from her outstretched hand. It instantly retracted and and picked up the pen. “I mean that sincerely, though not as sincerely as if you were to give me enough to last two months of coffee orders.”

Rebekah shook her head once firmly, but her eyes were crinkled in the concerns. 

“Go get your pity coffee,” she ordered, shooing him away with her hand. Kol obliged, hopping up, though not with as much vigor as when he sat down. For all he knew that could’ve been his last good cup until the end of the semester. “Ask if they’re hiring!” she added with a chuckle. 

He did. They weren’t.

 

* * *

 

“So, the Cerebellum contains basic information…”

The TA was droning on in Psychology 101 class while Davina drew in her notebook. Currently she was working on a sketch of her friend Josh who was actually paying attention. He always made fun of her for fitting the art student stereotype, but doodling away the hours were a better use of her time than listening to the basics of psychoanalyzing were. Going to a liberal arts college meant fulfilling her basic requirements, but sociology wasn’t a key part of art degrees.

Josh bumped her knee when class was over, and noticed that Davina had gotten liberal with her drawing of him. She started to draw a flower crown on him.

“I’m not actually a big daisy person. More a rose guy,” he informed her, cueing it was time to gather up her materials. Her hardly touched textbook (an object that proved the class was not worth her time or money) sat, waiting until the next test date called for a night of cramming in information. 

“I’ll let Aiden know,” she teased, seeing Josh grin at the sound of his boyfriend’s name. It was new only in an official capacity, they’d been flirting since freshman orientation. It took till halfway through sophomore year until one them actually made any moves.

Davina flashed a smile at the TA, a grad student named Camille, as they worked they way out of class. She was passionate about the material she taught, even getting into the subject for a class of students who were taking it to fill up their hours. It made Davina feel bad about ignoring her, but not bad enough to stop doodling.

“Speaking of Aiden,” Josh said, “we’re going out tonight and I thought you might want to join.” Davina turned her attention away the TA, who was being roped into conversation with the only girl who spoke in class, and paused. 

A few weeks ago the answer would be yes, without reservations. That was before Josh and Aiden were officially a thing though, and going out to get drinks with friends became third wheeling.

“Come on,” he pleaded, “you never go out with us anymore. You’re working your way through your Netflix queue way too quickly.”

“Hey! No judging,” she warned, giving him a long look. “I gave you my login to watch conspiracy theory shows, not to conduct surveillance.” Josh blinked at her innocently. 

“Fine,” she ultimately relented. Silence always engulfed the air when Josh wanted an answer, and nine times out of ten it proved to be a good tactic. Davina had willpower but not when it came to making her best friend happy. “But-” she eyed his victorious smile “-on the condition that you buy all my drinks.”

“Done.”

 

* * *

  
  


Josh followed through with his request of funding her drinks, but a free mixed drink didn’t make third wheeling much better. Aiden had gone outside to answer a call from the company he was trying to get an internship from and Josh wanted to go with, to either be the first to celebrate or the first to help him with bad news.

“Go ahead!” she said, trying to sound assertive. “I’ll survive a few minutes waiting here.” Shot Davina’s way an apologetic look, and it worked well enough. Young love: she respected it even if it left her alone at bars. 

The smile on her lips didn’t leave until he left her line of vision. When Josh was gone, so was her assuring smile. 

“Hey cutie, what can I do to keep you smiling,” a voice suddenly said. Davina’s hand tensed around her cup. She let go of the cup only slightly when she saw who had appeared next to her. 

“Oliver,” she greeted, keeping her mouth unsmiling. The line sounded like it came from some guy trying to hit on a stranger, but she guessed Oliver always sounded a bit like that. He had seemed nice enough when she first met him, but he flirted with just about anything that moved. And that’s when he’s sober. 

“Miss Claire,” he greeted back, sliding into the chair to her left. His smirk was enough for the two of them. It was also what signaled to her that he was drunk. Sober Oliver was just the random guy at parties that Aiden knew from high school. Drunk Oliver was the frat boy she knew enough stories about to stay from. Her cup felt the tension return at the realization. She tried to scoot it away from him without much notice. “You know, seeing you’s the best thing that’s happened to me all day.”

“Can’t say the same,” she tried to pass off with a laugh, “I heard a really great lecture today.”

“You wound me,” he replied, taking a large drink from his bottle. His eyes stayed on her the entire time, doing a not so discreet look up and down her body.

“You know, I was actually about to go to a friend of mine,” she blurted out quickly, whipping her neck to see if Josh or Aiden had come back in. After that scan, she looked to see if she knew anyone in the room. Someone talking to the bartender looked vaguely familiar, a friend of a friend maybe, and in a moment of eye contact she tried to express panic.

“Don’t go so soon. Let me buy you a drink.” He reached out to grab her arm, which was already in the motion of getting up and most importantly away. The grip jerked her back into her seat.

“Oliver, we’ll catch up some other ok?” she said in a voice much less friendly than before. Even a drunk man could detect it.

“There you are, darling,” came a new voice, this one accented. Oliver’s hold on her arm loosened, and Davina shook him off easily. When she looked up to see who it was, she realized her accented hero was the person she’d given panicked glances. Currently he was giving her a look she figured he hoped was meaningful and then glanced over to Oliver, hardening his eyes. Up close she recognized him as her friend Marcel’s girlfriend’s brother. They’d crossed paths before but she couldn’t place his name. “Who’s this?” he asked, his voice a feigned friendly with anger running beneath. The anger was obviously feigned too, but Oliver was too drunk to realize that.

_ Ah _ , Davina thought. She could play along. 

“Oh, no one, honey,” she replied, hoping the pet name didn’t sound as forced aloud than it did in her own head. The stools were tall so even though she was sitting she was able to lean over and peck the friend of a friend’s cheek for effect.

“I didn’t realize you had a boyfriend,” Oliver said suddenly, and though Davina was happy for the rescue she frowned at him.

“You shouldn’t grab a girl if she’s single,” she stated, venom laced in her voice and in her eyes. Oliver seemed unphased by this this, but glanced back up at her supposed boyfriend and stood right up. 

“Sorry,” he apologized, turning to head the other way (and stumbling a bit in the process). The apology wasn’t directed to her Davina though, but instead to the boy standing next to her. 

“Asshole,” he muttered, shaking her from her angry thoughts.

“Thank you,” she told him, giving him the brightest smile she could. “I just wish it didn’t take a fake boyfriend to get rid of a creep.”

“Understandable,” he said in agreeance. “Rebekah complains about the same thing. You know, Marcel’s scary but Rebekah wants to be too and… well you looked like you needed help and I figured I’d put Bex’s complaining to good use.” Davina must’ve been looking at him funny because he tacked on, “You are Marcel’s friend right?”

“Yeah, I am, sorry. I was just trying to remember your name.”

“Kol,” he reminded her, eyeing the seat next to her.

“Kol!” she repeated with much more gusto than anticipated, startling him. “Sorry, Marcel just talks about you lots and I knew I’d feel stupid when you told me your name.”

“All good things I hope?” he asked, and Davina was debating correcting him when she realized he was teasing. It made her smile, and put her in a much better mood. Every once in awhile Marcel would get going about Rebekah’s annoying younger brother who was going to fail in life. 

Failing in life certainly never looked so good.

“I’m-” 

“Davina,” he finished for her, making her blink a few times. For a split second Davina thought he looked embarrassed but that was gone by her third blink. “I’m good with names,” he reasoned, still glancing at the seat.

“You can sit,” she prompted him, “I can motion another faux boyfriend over if needed.”

“I think I can respect your wishes without a protective boyfriend,” he countered. 

“Right answer,” she said softly, looking at her empty cup. “Aren’t you going to offer to buy me a drink?” She was teasing. Kind of. 

“Unfortunately,” he started, truly sounding put down by it, “I am low on funds. Normally I would offer a beautiful woman one, but I’m not even here to drink myself.” Davina contemplated the connotations of ‘normally’ and the compliment he slid in all while trying not to look too confused.

“You are Rebekah’s sister right? A Mikaelson?” she questioned. Last time she checked the Mikaelson family was loaded. Kol nodded, following it with a sigh.

“I am currently cut off from the family funds,” he explained, and he jutted his chin over to the bartender. “I was in here hoping they needed a bouncer or something.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she warned, “you were good in your protective boyfriend role but I don’t think you’d be a very intimidating bouncer.” 

“That’s what the bartender said.” 

“The protective boyfriend bit too?” 

“Not quite, but I'm sure my performance would impress him.” Davina laughed, and the corners of Kol’s lips ticked up into a smile. 

“I’m sure it would,” she offered, wishing she had a drink to hold, or anything for her hands to mess with. Kol was easy to talk to, but she was barely buzzed and a nervous around him. Low on funds herself, a new drink wasn't going to appear unless Josh did too. 

The smile on Kol’s face shifted suddenly at her comment. Less sweet, more of a grin. He reached for his phone, doing some tapping and scrolling until he obviously found what he was looking for. 

Though Davina was already shifting to peek over to see what Kol was so interested in, he handed her the phone before she needed to. 

 

**PAID RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY**

**_Romantic Couples Study_ **

 

When she read the bold print, she gave him a look. He looked awfully pleased with himself for no reason. 

“Is this your way of telling me that you have a girlfriend?” Davina asked, glancing back down to the email Kol had shown her. It was from the university’s psychology department, and under the heading had a list of requirements. 

“No, I’m single. As are you, I think.” 

Despite her confusion, Davina nodded yes. 

“With the whole boyfriend thing I remembered this-” he shook her phone lightly “-that I saw earlier.” 

Davina sat, brows furrowed. The flirty mood was gone, replaced by something she couldn't place.

“We’re not dating because you helped me out.”

“But we could be,” was Kol’s response. One of her furrowed brows rose. Of the many things she’d heard about Kol from Marcel and company (including his sister who Davina who assume to be a reliable source), the most prominent was his smooth talking. At the moment, she couldn't see that being true. “I mean,” he continued, “that the researchers could think we’re dating.” 

“Or not,” she said coolly. 

“It's easy money,” he reasoned, looking her straight in eye. “I'm sure we just have to answer a few questions and we'll leave with a little more cash in our wallets.” 

For a moment Davina thought he was crazy, but she had to admit it sounded like free money. 

“What makes you think I need money?” she asked, just putting off her answer while she gave it some thought. Kol was trustworthy because he was Rebekah’s brother and he genuinely just needed some cash. No ulterior motives. 

“You're an art student.” 

When Davina came out of her thoughts she registered what he said. She let out a laugh, figuring Marcel complained about Davina just as much as Marcel complained about Kol. 

“Well, according to most people I need a viable life plan for making money and being a starving artist...” she improvised, glancing back and forth from her empty cup to Kol’s face. Finally she settled on his eyes, a mix of mischief and hope. Before trying to figure out if the alcohol had anything to do with her decision, she made it a quick one.  “I'll do it. The research thing.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Ok, now get a little closer,” Rebekah ordered, and the pair in front of her obliged. Her camera was readily pointed at the opposite side of the booth, where Kol and Davina were posing for their couple photo. Kol had inquired about the study the night before and they replied bright and early in the morning, citing that they needed a picture before they could accept them into the study.

They also mentioned the pay, and that was enough to get Kol dressed and crashing Rebekah and Marcel’s breakfast. Davina was a bit groggier because Josh and Aiden had eventually returned with news to celebrate.

“I think we’re as close as you can get,” Davina commented, resting her head a bit on his shoulder in compromise. Any closer and she would be sitting on his lap, which she did not need to be doing in a family friendly breakfast place. Rebekah eyed them with an editorial eye and nodded in approval.

“Smile!” Rebekah’s phone clicked with the sound of photos being taken. 

“I think that’s enough pictures,” Marcel muttered, cutting into his omelette. His comment made Davina smile a bit more genuinely. Marcel had taken Davina under his wing when she’d gone to see a peer counselor at the beginning of her freshman year and acted like an older brother most of the time.

Of all the things Kol had done, fake dating someone for money was pretty low on the list of absurd, but Marcel still wasn’t a fan of Davina getting involved in what he called a stupid scheme.

Davina acknowledged it was easier for him to get an actual job, but she didn’t mind it. It meant she got to switch up her routine for a few weeks. Still, when Marcel had asked her why she agreed she gave him a shrug. 

Influenced by Marcel’s comment or not, Rebekah lowered her camera to inspect the pictures. Davina scooted over to get her personal space bubble back, and leaned forward to sip on her smoothie. On the menu it said it was  _ the _ hangover cure, but after each sip she just wanted some good ole fashioned water and another handful of Advil. 

“Very cute,” Rebekah announced, passing her phone over the table. Davina reached for it and had to agree. They definitely looked couple-y, smiling for camera and cuddled up in the booth. “The first one’s my favorite,” she added, obviously meaning that Davina needed to go look at the first one. 

It was the only candid out of the bunch- well, partial candid. Davina was giving her brightest smile, perfectly posed for the camera. Kol was smiling, but it wasn’t the grin that showed up later in the photos. His eyes were trained on Davina’s face rather than at the camera. It didn’t look faked at all.

After looking at the picture a moment longer than necessary she felt him lean in to look as well. Without looking at him she passed the phone over to him, swallowing hard. 

“Just sent them to myself,” he said, getting his own phone out. Rebekah and Marcel had started up their own conversation while Kol worked on then sending one into the study.

“You two should do it. An actual couple might counteract our false results,” Davina suggested, tearing her eyes away from Kol. 

“We don’t live together,” Rebekah said, and Davina just stared. 

“And?” she asked. Her forehead was wrinkled. 

“That’s one of the qualifications,” she explained, looking at Kol with exasperation, going on to rattle them off. “In a relationship for at least six months, living together, and monogamous.” Davina continued to stare, but switched her focus to the boy next to her.

“You didn’t say we had to pretend to be in a serious relationship.” 

“It’s not like you actually have to move in,” he argued, not sounding worried in any way. 

“But we have to pretend like I did,” she countered, “and I know nothing about you.” Kol showed her his phone screen in response, which was a response from the study. They were officially confirmed study subjects and were to report to some room in the sociology department Monday night. 

“I guess you’ll have to learn quickly,” he said. 

“Don’t worry, Davina,” Rebekah suddenly said, seeing the annoyance in her eyes, “he’s not very deep.”

Davina waited for Kol to respond to that jab but he stayed silent. 

 

* * *

 

On Sunday, Kol showed up with a piece offering. Chinese food and an apologetic smile (well, it looked more guilty than anything but it did the trick).

“My favorite color is red and I hate my father,” he greeted, passing the food over to Davina. She was in her pajamas, as she had been all day. A lazy Sunday was her reward for spending her Saturday writing a paper. 

Her hip was rested against her front door frame, stopping him from entering. Marcel had texted her, informing her that Kol had texted asking for her address. Davina told him to go ahead and inform Kol of her favorite food as well. Leaving breakfast, she had snippily told him to text her some basic facts about him.  

“Purple. And same,” she replied. “You can come in if there’s sweet and sour chicken in that box.”

“Marcel knows his stuff,” Kol assured her, lifting the take away bag up from his side. More specifically, Marcel knew how to read a text and relay information, but Davina got her food either way. 

Davina stepped back from the door and let Kol come in. Her roommate Monique was out for most of the day, so Davina didn’t feel the need to explain anything. Though Monique was a pretty good roommate (on time with bills, clean, and quiet) she was really into knowing everyone’s business.

“Who paid for take out? Did you somehow get an advance on our couple research?” Davina went to grab some plates. 

“My sister Freya is nicer than Rebekah. And venmo-ed me a loan,” he explained, setting the food on her kitchen counter.

“How many siblings do you have?” Davina asked, trying to count them in her head. 

“Three brothers, two sisters. I’m the youngest which is weird.” Davina paused in her plate getting to glance his way. There was a hitch in his voice. “My little brother Henrik died a few years ago,” he explained in a very factual way. 

“I’m so sorry, Kol,” Davina said after a heavy moment silence. Normally Kol hated the instinctive apology that came after telling people about Henrik, but her’s felt genuine. 

“You know, I never understood why people apologize when someone dies. It’s not like you killed him.” Davina wasn’t offended by his comment, she felt the same way about the instinctive apologies. Her plates hit the counter with a small ping when he said the last sentence though.

“It’s a show a empathy,” she offered, staying in her spot near the cabinets.

“Yes it is, Davina Claire.” 

Davina mustered up what she could only hope was a smile that said ‘life really sucks sometimes right’. A nod was returned. 

“I’m an only child,” she said, wanting to change the subject. 

“That must be lonely,” he commented, his voice shifting away from serious. 

“Maybe a little,” she admitted, pushing herself off of her perch on her counter. “When I was really young and at home alone I would pretend I was a princess in a castle.” 

“Waiting for a prince?” he tried, eyeing her with a glint in his eye.

“The king,” she corrected, the answer coming out as sad as the reality was. Her attempt at storytelling to lighten the mood had already failed. “Absentee father,” she corrected once again, and then she muttered, “no wonder fairy tales are allegories.” 

“I have a present one. Not all they’re cracked up to be.” Despite the heaviness of their conversation topics Kol was aiming at keeping the mood light. It worked in a way, Davina wanted to attempt to keep up a lightness as well. 

“So,” she started, reaching for the chicken she’d requested, “when I realized that was never going to happen I stopped wishing I was a princess. For a moment there I was really into the Wizard of Oz and liked to think I was the good witch cursed by the wicked witch. Not for any good reason, I had a pretty good childhood minus the aforementioned.”

“So you were a very dramatic kid,” Kol translated. He was making his own plate of food Davina would never order for herself. At least there wouldn’t be any stealing of food in the dynamic. 

“Precisely.” 

“I was what our future psychologist friends would call a problem child.”

“And Rebekah said you weren’t deep,” Davina mused, smiling at him. A little Kol getting into trouble wasn’t hard to imagine. Underneath all his expressions was some kind of mischievousness. When she had noticed this she figured it would be unsettling, but it was just very Kol. 

“I had depth. Just easily understandable ones,” he protested. At this point they were settled in at Davina’s little table, which was shoved into a nook. Her residence was an old house in the Garden District, not too far from campus. Being a college student in a highly expensive real estate market meant it was a small house though. “Stop me if you’ve heard this one before-” Kol looked up from pouring soy sauce over his rice “-a kid in a big family acts out to get attention, and never really realizes when to quit.”

“I’m in psych 101. You’re basically talking to an expert on deep rooted issues,” she said, though her grades begged to differ. “You’re pretty self aware though. No need for me to psychoanalyze you. As an expert I’d say you’re over your acting out by now.”

“In your professional opinion, do you call telling my dad I was dropping out of college when it was really just a whim self aware?” he asked, dead serious.

“Yes. You literally just connected that action to acting out. That is highly self aware.” 

“Hmm, that’s true,” Kol said, giving her a puzzled look. “I’m usually not that self aware though. Maybe you really do have a knack for psychology, making me realize my childhood trauma is affecting me to this day.” Davina laughed, thinking back to her doodles from her last lecture.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the one psychoanalyzing yourself now.”

This comment obviously was a realization to Kol, who replayed the last minute back in his head. 

“Maybe,” he mumbled at his food before looking back up at her, “but I think you should still change your major. I don’t see one stitch of art in this room.” There were a few pictures of generic sunrises, but Davina agreed that shouldn’t be considered art.

“This is communal living space,” she defended, “and my roommate doesn’t like my art. My art is confined to my room.” 

“I think I need to see my girlfriend’s artwork,” he announced, looking around to the several doors visible. “Hell, if I had a girlfriend who really cared she’d draw me.”

“I think this girlfriend of yours can follow through with the first request,” she told him. And that’s how they ended up in Davina’s room, door specifically left open. Her room was basically just her bed, a dresser piled with painting supplies, and walls covered with artwork. Davina was perched on the edge of the bed while Kol looked around at her art. 

“Your roommate has horrible taste,” was his first comment. “In all seriousness, darling, these are really good,” was the second. Both she appreciated.

The first thing Kol realized (after Davina’s obvious talent) was her affinity for drawing people. Most the people on the wall were different, whom he would later learn were strangers, but a few faces popped up a lot. Three of the faces she knew from around campus, but one was completely unfamiliar. After a pass at her walls the boy’s face felt familiar though, just from the sheer number. 

“Do you ever draw yourself?” he asked, and Davina nodded to a smaller sketch, where the mystery boy made an appearance again. They were tangled up, and Davina captured her own smile perfectly. To Kol, that was confirmation she knew just how brilliant her smile was. He ignored the boy. 

A ring suddenly shot through the room, startling both of them. The ringtone was unfamiliar to Davina, and sure enough Kol’s phone was the culprit. 

“Sorry, I need to take this,” Kol said regretfully. 

“Don’t apologize,” she reminded him, shooing him away. “Take the call.”

Kol looked down to the screen and his frown deepened. After a few more rings he answered it though, ducking out of her room. When he left, moving out of her sight line, she let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t even realized she’d held in. 

* * *

 

 

“How long have we been dating again?” Davina asked just under her breath.

“A year?” Kol said, a question more so than an answer. Davina nodded. Twelve months sounded good. 

The two were making their way to the couples study, and on the walk they’d confirmed the basics of their fabricated relationship. It was simple, straightforward, and easy enough to remember. Rebekah introduced them in March of the previous year (Davina’s freshman year and Kol’s sophomore year) and the rest was history. Well, yet to be determined history. 

“Hi! Are you here for the couples study?” a perky student said immediately when they reached the right floor. Davina recognized her from psych 101, meaning at least one person in it had an actual interest in psychology.

“Yep,” she said, trying to match her enthusiasm. 

“Great, just sign in in room 435 and they’ll get you started!”

Even if the classroom number wasn’t properly displayed they could’ve figured out where to go by the sheer amount of couples. Davina opened her mouth to complain but then she remembered why she was there. 

Signing in was easy, waiting to fill out the rest of the paperwork harder. According to the announcement made by a frazzled looking twenty something, the actual research would be conducted with the individual couples at specified times. The initial check in was filled with, from Davina’s calculation, fourteen other couples.

Kol was busying himself with looking at snapchat with great interest. The amount of couples had unsettled him as well. Davina took to taking around her surroundings instead, trying to gauge the type of couples they were using for their study.

“Are we a happy couple?” she asked, after some subtle people watching. 

“Hmm,” Kol mumbled, looking up from his phone. 

“What type of relationship are we in? An extended honeymoon phase, annoyed with each other but won’t break up, or jaded couple?” she clarified, jutting her chin out just slightly to motion. The classroom they were in was big enough where the pairings were scattered. Her examples had been quick assumptions made the couples she was watching. 

“What’s easier?” Kol said quietly, and Davina realized after a moment he was expecting a response.

“Well what how your relationships been like?” she inquired, same volume. “Real life experience would probably be best.” The amused stare from Kol was not helpful. “What?”

“I haven’t exactly had any relationships,” he offered. It was Davina’s turn to stare. “My relationships are short lived. I’m pretty this, though fictional, is my longest relationship.” This warranted no response for a moment, though it definitely fit in with Marcel’s stories. 

“Kol,” she said, lowering her voice even further, “I’ve only known you for four days.” He shrugged unceremoniously. “Ok… so happy relationship then,” she decided, “I know happy.”

“Davina Claire and Kol Mikaelson,” a voice called out. It wasn’t until they stood up did Davina realize how close they had been. Like Kol had shrugged off his earlier admission, Davina shrugged their proximity as a necessity for their hushed conversation.

“Hello, thank you for helping us out with the study,” the voice (now with a face) greeted, gesturing to another set of chairs for them. These chairs were by a table with a stack of papers though. “We shouldn’t keep you too long, we just want to go over some basics.” A synchronized nod from Davina and Kol cued the woman to go on. “So, we’ll be conducting basic interviews this week. Tonight there will be a mass email sent to all the participants and you can pick the most convenient time slots offered. If we think you two fit what we’d like for our study you’ll be asked to set up more times with us.”

Kol looked over to Davina, who let her eyes drift slightly. The confusion was clear; It had seemed like they were already in the study. 

“What will we be doing if we get into the study?” Davina asked, tearing her eyes with Kol.

“We want to know what goes on in a romantic relationship at a scientific level,” was the initially vague answer. “We’ll be looking at chemical levels in your bodies but other aspects as well. We’re teaming up with the biology department on this one.”

“What’s the pay again?” Kol inquired. 

“The interview’s nothing, but for each hour we use you for the study will be $50 each.”

Kol looked annoyed by the interview process but that answer changed that. He immediately straightened up in his chair and reached over to grab Davina’s hand.

“How long could this potentially last?” he asked, and the woman they were speaking to had to notice his peaked interest. 

“A little less than a month, we’d only be needing you about seven hours a week.”

Davina still thought Kol should just get a damn job, but she had to admit those were nice hours for an extra cash. Doing something to switch up her routine was actually going to pay decently. 

Never in her life had Davina been so happy about donors. 

“Well, we’re really excited to be apart of the study,” she suddenly found herself saying, squeezing on Kol’s hand. “Our friends always say we’re the perfect couple so it’d be fun to see how science supports that theory.” She heard Kol stifle a laugh and hoped she was the only one who could.

The woman across the table smiled. 

“We’ll be in touch.”

Davina and Kol were up and out, with polite smiles to everyone in the study as they went. The second they got to the staircase Kol burst out laughing. 

“What? I improvised,” Davina said, knowing he was laughing at her final line. 

“It’d be fun to see how science supports that theory,” Kol repeated with hiccuped laughter, shaking his head.

“The possible payment inspired me. I felt like we should say something to sound couple-y” she defended. 

“Come on, darling,” he stopped her, exasperated from his laughing. She was trailing in from of him down the stairs. “That line sounded like it from from an old boring couple who met on match.com.”

It was chillier than normal in New Orleans for the time of year, and Davina hugged her jacket closer when she stepped outside. Kol was only a few steps behind and starting to insult her half-of-fake-couple acting skills.

“Science is hip,” she stated. “Ask anyone who wants to give me advice for useful majors.” 

“True. But the scientific method applied to relationships is not.” If Kol felt the chill he didn’t show it. Nothing seemed to phase him.

“Science is sexy,” Davina said, and Kol raised a brow.

“In the mood to prove it?”

“Funny,” she deadpanned, rolling her eyes. Part of her wanted to come up with a better reply,

but the part that knew better didn’t. With her jacket sleeve pulled down to cover her hand she motioned to the poster on the building they just left. “Science is sexy,” she said again, this time making it clear she was just reading the poster to begin with.

“Hmm, well I do believe everything I read,” he joked. 

“You read?” Davina feigned shock. Kol was actually smart if given the chance but he’d been 

labeled the family idiot by comparison. The label had been divulged by Marcel to Davina before. “Kidding,” she added, but Kol hadn’t even responded. 

“Where are you heading?” he asked. They were currently doing the walk to nowhere, a slow paced meander.

“Home. I woke up early to study so I’m going to bed early too.”

“I can walk with you,” he offered too quickly, the words spilling out. The offer sounded strange to both of their ears. The mood instantly switched.

“I’ll make it on my own, thanks,” she told him, much slower and much more delayed. Kol nodded, visibly swallowing. She couldn’t be sure if she was reading into things or seeing them just the way they were. “See you soon!” she got out, sounding startlingly chipper.

A fumble of goodbyes and they went their separate ways. 

 

* * *

 

Davina knew she needed more female friends, but until then Josh had to listen to her relationship issues. Due to their weekday schedules this meant it would have to be in a quick coffee break between classes

“Marcel hates him,” Davina reminded Josh. Again.

“It sounds to me that you’re trying to convince someone other than yourself,” her friend said, and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not convincing myself of anything,” she protested, swirling her stirrer in her untouched coffee. She kept adding sugar and mixing it in, forgetting about it for a minute, and then repeating the process. 

“You are allowed to like other people, D. It’s almost been two years since-”

“Don’t round up,” she muttered, interrupting him. Josh paused in thought. 

“You are allowed to like other people, D. It’s been a year and a half,” he corrected, and she sighed. 

“I just wished it wasn’t  _ him _ that I liked,” she clarified. “He’s been nice around me but I’ve only ever heard bad things. Rebekah said he’d fun to be around for short periods of time. Marcel outrightly calls him an ass. Not exactly rave reviews for someone I want to date.”

“You don’t have to date him,” he pointed out, causing her to tick her head to the side. “You could casually hang out. Like friendship but with sex.”

Davina burrowed her head into hands, only peeking out to look at Josh when silence overtook them. By then the flush of her cheeks had subsided.

“Nothing can happen for a while anyway,” she started up, and it did sound like she was convincing herself, “starting a relationship… of any capacity is not a good idea while we’re pretending to be in a long term one.”

“Do you really care about that money?” Josh asked her. 

“Kol does,” she said, and Josh widened his eyes accusingly. “And I do too,” she added, as if it were obvious, “it’s good pay for doing so little. I’m a college student, I’m desperate for money.”

“Right,” Josh muttered, a smile playing on his lips. 

“Right.” Davina settled back into her chair, not liking how her venting session had turned. 

 

Kol probably needed to the advice of a female who wasn’t friends with the subject of his question. Alas, he was talking about Davina with Rebekah. 

“I doubt you were awkward. The little brother I know would never be awkward,” she was trying to reassure him. 

“Well, only for a moment,” Kol changed, arguing his own point. He’d gone to Rebekah (who found the whole thing to be amusingly overdramatic) after he parted from Davina, but she shooed him away. A day later, homework out of the way, and she was ready to listen.

“Well, you can’t like Davina anyway,” Rebekah said with a shrug. Kol looked startled so she altered her language. “Of course you can like her, but you can’t act on it.”

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“No pursuing Davina,” she reworded. “You’d see her for two days and leave her high and dry. The last thing anyone needs, least of all Davina, is another broken heart.”

“I don’t want to break her heart. I actually like her,” he pressed. 

“The actually bit is not promising,” Rebekah pointed out, and her shoulders drooped at Kol’s conflicted expression. “I can tell you how this goes. You go on a date with her, hook up with her, you try to do another date but you’re already over it. Davina isn’t. Fast forward and you’re avoiding her calls. She sees you out with another girl. Now she’s feeling bad because you never defined your relationship, so why should she be upset? But she is. Broken hearted.”

“That’s-” Kol started

“What will happen,” Rebekah stated, stopping his protest. “Davina isn’t the girl you want to experiment a relationship with.”

“Bex, I don’t think you’re hearing me,” Kol said, to the point of pleading for her to listen. Now was not the time to have his opinions be trampled upon by his siblings. “I haven’t liked anyone as much as I like Davina, and I hardly know her.”

There was a softening in Rebekah’s eyes, but she couldn’t change her own view on the matter.

“If you’re intent on your feelings for you, then consider hers. For her sake, do not attempt this.”

Kol was listening to Rebekah but he could tell when he’d hit a roadblock. He was thinking of ways to do just the opposite.

 

* * *

 

The interview was set for Thursday. Kol was the one who recommended they go over the basics of their fake relationship. So they were holed up in the corner of the library, writing down the basics the night before. The people around them were working on group projects and joint papers but Davina and Kol blended in. Kind of.

She figured that someone had to sense the tension between them. The type of tension that survived a visit the oldest library on the campus (chosen for proximity not pleasantness) had to detected by someone other than herself. 

“What about sex?” Kol asked suddenly

“What?” Davina blurted, looking up from her sheet. When she realized how loudly she'd spoken she sunk back down into her chair. 

“It's a scientific study. What's our comment on sex?” 

“Oh, um… we can leave that one vague,” she said, flustered. If there had been water she would’ve choked on it. Kol smiled, making Davina’s flush deepen. “We can say it’s normal… average,” she added, focusing on the notecards in front of her. 

“Unlikely,” Kol muttered, and that was enough to get Davina to roll her eyes. Better to be laughing at Kol’s confidence than blush because of it. She looked over her left shoulder to meet his eyes and shrugged. 

“No need to warrant further questions,” she explained, her voice serious.

“And what’s the fun in that, darling?” Kol had a glint in his eye, though she knew it was partially from amusement of her response to the matter. 

“Money,” she stated. “The money we get from being apart of the study as an average couple.”

“I’m pretty sure we could be an extraordinary couple.”

“You mean act like?” she asked without thinking, and immediately she regretted the clarification. Kol’s statement better left untouched. He just shrugged, mimicking hers from earlier. 

“We can act like an ordinary, boring, run of the mill if you want,” he promised. He broke their eye contact, and shuffled the note cards. “Want to run through some of these?”

Davina nodded, trying to rid her mind of other lingering thoughts…

 

… but thoughts lingered.

 

And lingered.

 

“Walk me back to my place?” Davina asked when Kol started to put up all their fake relationship materials. He looked surprised but took it in stride. 

“What kind of fake boyfriend would I be refused?” 

“A bad one,” she offered though it was obviously rhetorical. Kol smiled that, though his eyes squinted a bit. His confusion was short lived, as he offered to walk back with her. It was a short walk filled with light conversation, but the entire time it was like Davina was anticipating something. 

When they got to her door she finally got the chance to enlighten him on her intentions.

Thinking back to her conversation with Josh, Davina had come up with a very mature approach. It involved a small speech, focusing on keeping feelings out of things, and it sounded good in her head. When they arrived at her porch and it came time to say the words it no longer so good. 

With no other plan in mind she improvised. She practically jumped Kol (though in her defense their height difference required a certain amount of momentum if only instigated by the shorter half), wrapping her arms around his neck, and went in for the kiss. She put all her pent up feelings into it, but it wasn’t a first kiss-kiss (at least comparing to Davina’s usual). Not that it lacked passion, but it couldn’t be described as delicate in any sense of the word.

At first Kol wasn’t responding, which caused alarmed Davina. She started to pull back but before he could protest or she could apologize he pulled her back in. This time, there was participation by both parties.

If one of her neighbors were to walk by they probably would’ve been alarmed by the scene unfolding on her front porch. This thought creeped into Davina’s mind a few minutes into whatever was happening with Kol, and she forced herself away from Kol. His grip was tight on her so the space was created by Davina leaning her head back.

“Inside,” she said quickly. She fumbled getting her keys for a moment, realizing her bag had fallen onto the ground in the midst of everything. When it was finally open they were back at it, lips locked. Davina tried to guide them through the house to her room but it was a slow effort. 

Slow efforts aren’t a lost cause though. They made it her room.

Absolutely no thoughts were lingering because Davina had put them into action. Several times over.

* * *

 

“How long have you two been living together?” the very to the point interviewer asked. His name was Cameron and so far in their interview he’d shown no signs of emotion. Ironic for a study about relationships, but the camera to their side was picking up everything for later viewing by more emotional members of the team.

“Since the beginning of the school year,” Kol answered, shooting Davina a smile which she returned. She was supposed to be keeping up with their fake relationships facts, and be ready to reaffirm his statements, but she was lagging. Everytime he sent her a fake display of affection Davina wanted to confuse it with reality. She wanted last night to be something to completely get over her attraction to him, but it hadn’t exactly gone as planned. The morning after had been kind of awkward, kind of awkward, but ultimately Davina used her morning class an excuse for it be over quickly. She gave him a peck on lips before he left, wishing she wasn’t so confused when he left. Her timing was less than ideal and she had been super impulsive but she didn’t regret instigating things.

The timing was just really, really bad.

“Kol’s roommate moved out and I was looking for a place because I wasn’t gonna stay in the dorms again, so it worked out,” she added on, looking over to Cameron. “A bit fast too move in, we know, but it felt right.” Cameron nodded. He was clinical and didn’t make Davina feel any better about her acting (or her weird lack of but kind of actual emotions underneath the acting).

“How long were both of your most recent relationships prior to this one? And cause of them ending?” Cameron asked, checking off something on his paper sheet. The orderly conduct of the interview was heightened by the fact Cameron was literally just reading off questions. 

“I had a few casual fling a few weeks before meeting Davina. It ended because it was just that, a fling.” Kol had answered quickly, and when Davina didn’t he tried to get her attention. Even Cameron looked up his from his paper to see what was taking her so long.

The quickest honeymoon phase had just been abruptly ended along with Davina’s mood.

“My… My boyfriend died at the beginning of my freshman year,” she answered, her voice tight. Her eyes were trained on the unemotional Cameron who was breaking his role. Even he looked taken aback by her answer, but Davina couldn’t bring herself to look over to Kol. “So a few months.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cameron said. His expression had changed but still sounded apathetic. Apathy stung, and Davina squeezed her eyes shut.

When Tim, her boyfriend, first died people had told her she’d get used to it the condolences. Whenever someone would say one it was like someone was telling her that he’d died all over again. She was away at college, away from friends and family, so she figured she could avoid the condolences by not telling anyone about him. 

Eventually she got so weighed down that she had to talk to someone. That someone was Marcel, and though she’d drained her heart and soul out to him, that was where it ended. 

She never got over the pang of condolences because she stopped herself from hearing them.

“Thanks,” she muttered, rubbing at her arm.

“What are your favorite things to do together as a couple?” Cameron asked, without missing a beat. 

Up until that point, Kol had taken the first shot at the answers. When he didn’t Davina had to jump in, with her voice still tight and unintentionally guarded. Davina offered up her answer and looked over to see to cue Kol. The look on his face made her freeze. 

“Ok well those are the questions I have for you two,” Davina vaguely heard someone said. All she could focus on what Kol’s expression. He didn’t look hurt at her omission but instead looked at her with pity. In Davina’s opinion, that was a million times worse. 

They both got up awkwardly, thanking their interviewer, and made their way to the door. Davina was faster, refusing to let herself see Kol. Her focus was intently on the path in front of her. 

“Hey,” she heard, Kol’s voice softer than she’d ever heard it. 

No response. Davina was going to the stairs when he tried again.

“Hey, I’m mad not at you. I mean, I wish you’d trusted me enough to tell me, but I’m not mad.”

Davina knew that. It was that explaining in any form didn’t feel right.

“I just don’t like to talk about Tim, okay?” she finally said. Though her feet had stopped her a few feet from the stairway she couldn’t bring herself to turn out. Kol was right there, breath heavy though not labored. 

“I am so-”

“Please don’t.” Davina wanted the subject dropped. She even turned around so he could see the desperation on her face. Kol was overwhelmed by the tug in his heart.

For the short time Kol knew Davina, a smile on her face was never far off. He caught himself looking forward to it even, wanting to say something to get it to appear. It made it’s way to her eyes and lit up her entire being. The happiness she radiated was contagious, even from the smallest uptick of the corners of her lips.

Now Davina’s lips were just the slightest bit downturned and though she was fighting tears they were welling up in her eyes. She looked the physical embodiment of grief despite her sunny yellow top. It was clear from that one look she never talked about Tim, never addressed it. People grieve differently, he knew that personally, but he realized in that moment that Davina was drowning under all of her repressed emotions. No Psych 101 course was needed to figure that out.

“It’s a show of empathy,” he said, remembering her words when he talked about Henrik. Part of him wondered in that conversation the back story but she hadn’t offered anything. 

One comment was not enough to change the tides. Kol had hoped for a watery smile but all he got was a thin, quivering, line where her smile once was.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Kol,” she pressed, her eyes moving down to the floor. 

Never had Kol felt a need to comfort someone. The Mikaelsons had their moment, but Henrik’s communal mourning hadn’t been particularly touchy feely. It shouldn’t have come from anywhere, but Kol wanted to wrap Davina up in a hug. 

But he didn’t. She was already slipping away.

“I’ll see you later,” she told him, the way a former acquaintance would; there was no intention in her voice, just a barrier up. 

Kol stood there, wanting more than anything to go after her but knowing he shouldn’t. He recalled Rebekah’s words and realized why she was worried about him breaking Davina’s heart. It wouldn’t be her heartbreak over him. It would be over the memory over Tim. 

 

* * *

 

No one emailed them about the study. Considering three weeks had passed it was safe to assume they hadn’t been picked. Their brief but heavy moment in the hallway might’ve affected that.

Davina had not reached out to Kol either. In fact, she’d ignored his call and texts. If Rebekah hadn’t been so familiar with the situation she would’ve reveled in the fact Kol was chasing after a girl for once. 

Kol had seen the look on her face, heard the tone of her voice, but he kept trying to read out. One day, Bex told him just to stop. 

Davina read each and every text he sent her, wishing she could bring herself to see him. She felt overdramatic but every time she thought about _that_ _look_ on his face she had to blank out her mind.

Of anyone to promote a relationship with Kol, Davina would not have expected it to be Marcel. Yet, he was the one to finally crack the pattern of Davina’s friends handling her with caution. Josh and Aiden had been too nice to do it and that left Marcel. 

When Marcel knocked on her door she knew exactly what he was there for, but he showed up Chinese. She caved.

“Thanks, Marcel,” she told him as she heavily poured soy sauce onto her rice. Her hope was that she could persuade him away from certain topics. This hope was quickly dashed.

“I know you try to ignore what happened with Tim, D, but you can’t let it stop you from living your life,” he said, going right to it. Davina stilled, but he kept going before she could stop him. “I hate Kol, but you liked him, and he liked you too. You should be able to have that.” Davina shook her head.

“I can’t. Not with Kol. Marcel, you didn’t see the way he looked when he found out about Tim.” 

He figured he could knew it enough. After their incident, Kol had shown up at Rebekah’s with a haunted look. Marcel had been there was the entire recap, and saw Kol emotional for the first time ever. He would’ve been shocked if his concern for Davina hadn’t bubbled to the surface.

“That’s an excuse, D,” Marcel stated softly. It was said without hesitation.

“It’s not,” she defended, a glassy looks to her eyes and her voice, “I’ve gone on plenty of dates since Tim died.” She knew what Marcel was thinking, but he was the one to voice it.

“You weren’t that interested in those guys.” He couldn’t bring himself to say that Davina obviously had something else with Kol, but that did not need any saying.

Toying with her food took precedent over responding to that. It gave her time to think. She had plenty of it over the past few weeks but wouldn’t allow herself to. 

“You can be afraid to get close to someone romantically again, but you can’t pin it onto Kol’s reaction,” Marcel analyzed, and Davina looked at her pile of rice she hadn’t even eaten. “What’s holding you back is bigger than that.” She knew everything he said was true, and if she was being honest with herself she was relieved that he’d said it. 

“I was supposed to be visiting Tim when he got in that car crash,” Davina admitted, and it was the first time she’d said it aloud. “I was a freshman though and I was selfish. I cancelled our plans to stay here because of some festival that I didn’t even go to.”

“But you can’t blame yourself, D,” Marcel pressed. When Davina first came to him for advice he’d said the same thing. He had never known how deep her guilt ran. Every inch of her had feared saying it would damn her but she felt relief roll off her when he said those words to her actual reason for feeling the blame.

“I know,” she said softly, looking him straight in the eyes for the first time that day. “I know.”

Marcel smiled, and for the first time ever he believed she did. 

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Davina texted Marcel. In a no frills request, she had simply asked for Kol’s address and favorite food. An hour after that, she stood in front of Apartment 12 with a bag of Thai food.

Kol couldn’t hide his expression when he saw Davina. He was happy to see her, raw and unfiltered. It was a rare moment that Davina didn’t want to spoil with words. 

She let herself glean a small smile. It wasn’t toothy and it was reserved, but it enough for Davina to apologize in a small way. Kol would’ve said there was no need for an apology, but Davina was still trying to get over how she’d treated herself in her repressed grieve. Apologies were certainly needed there.

Kol moved in and wrapped her up in a hug, only smushing the food bag a little bit before it dropped and Davina dove into the hug as well. It was the hug that he’d wanted to give Davina a month before, but it was something else now. It wasn’t sad, it was simply there. A comfort to both of them for the distance they’d put between themselves. They decided they were going to put an end to that distance.

The first attempt was to be made at a restaurant Kol insisted he could now afford. Mikael got over it after a month and gave him access to his funds once again. On the phone, his father had make a speech about how he hoped it showed Kol how to take responsibility. That much, Kol wasn’t sure, but he did know he was happy he got to know Davina.

Her smile wasn’t quite to its full strength yet, but Kol knew once it came back it would better than it had been for a year and a half. And he wanted more than anything to be the reason for it to make it’s debut.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know you thoughts! I wrote little bits to this piece over the course of two weeks and it was fun for me to see where the story took me! The stuff I broach in here is new for me, but let me know if you guys liked my venture into not-completely-fluff territory xx


End file.
